Coming Up in the Village...

To take a masterclass (and get access to the archive of past masterclasses) join Clown Spirit Village for the monthly investment that works for you (cancel any time):

$29
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The Uprising of the Ridiculous

with SABINE CHOUCAIR

What do we do when we’re angry, heartbroken, and feeling utterly powerless in the face of political absurdity? We turn up in red noses and gold capes. We march in slow motion. We cry glitter. We reclaim the streets with joy louder than sirens.

The Uprising of the Ridiculous is a wild, playful, and delightfully subversive workshop for those who want to respond to the world, not just with anger, but with imagination. Whether it’s a protest, a public square, or a quiet street corner, clowning gives us the tools to reclaim space, challenge power, and spark connection through satire, absurdity, and a whole lot of glitter.

This workshop is for clowns, artists, performers, and everyday humans who are feeling frustrated, stuck, or silenced, and who know there’s power in laughter that bites and beauty that disrupts. Together, we’ll explore:

  • How to turn helplessness into humor

  • How to create bold, poetic interventions in public space

  • How to be seen, heard, and felt without shouting

  • And how to use clowning to ask big questions, poke at injustice, and invite people to imagine something better

Join us, and let’s get gloriously ridiculous—together.

When Is It? 

SATURDAY Nov 8th
9am (PST), 12pm (EST), 5pm (UK), 6pm (EU)
(The class will last approx 2.5 hours) 

 

Where is it?

Zoom. All Clown Spirit Masterclasses are online.
(We only work with teachers who already have extensive experience of teaching their work online)

 

How Do I Join?

  • Become a CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGER for 1 month
  • You choose whether to pay US$29, US$49 or US$69 (see the criteria for self-selection)
  • Your membership will give you access not only to the masterclass but to the full archive of past masterclasses, weekly coaching calls and much more.
  • If one masterclass is enough for you, cancel your CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGE membership at any time (no commitment).
  • >>FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGE.

 

Holy Fool 

 with DAVID BRIDEL

Explore the mystical magical world of the Fool and the role of this ridiculous and beautiful character in life and art.

Meet the stories of Holy Fools from history and literature, from St Francis of Assisi to Ted Lasso, and put yourself in their shoes!

Through a blend of practical exercises and personal evocations David will help you explore the qualities that make the Fool so extraordinary: doubt, curiosity, radical acceptance, humility, and the courage to speak truth through folly.

The Fool is part of the rich tapestry of clowning. Can you find the Holy Fool in you?

David Bridel, Founding and Artistic Director of The Clown School, brings decades of experience on stage, screen, and in classrooms around the world. He has guided countless performers, helping them uncover depth, joy, and authenticity in their craft. In this workshop, he shows how the Fool can illuminate truth while celebrating the delightfully absurd.

Whether you are a performer, storyteller, or simply curious, The Holy Fool invites you to uncover the wisdom hidden in laughter, uncertainty, and play. Embrace your inner Fool, open yourself to radical possibility, and discover how absurdity, humility, and humor can transform your perspective—and perhaps even your life.

When Is It?  

SATURDAY December 13th
9am (PST), 12pm (EST), 5pm (UK), 6pm (EU)
(The class will last approx 2.5 hours) 

 

Where is it?

Zoom. All Clown Spirit Masterclasses are online.
(We only work with teachers who already have extensive experience of teaching their work online)

 

How Do I Join?

  • Become a CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGER for 1 month
  • You choose whether to pay US$29, US$49 or US$69 (see the criteria for self-selection)
  • Your membership will give you access not only to the masterclass but to the full archive of past masterclasses, weekly coaching calls and much more.
  • If one masterclass is enough for you, cancel your CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGE membership at any time (no commitment).
  • >>FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CLOWN SPIRIT VILLAGE.

The Teachers...

About Sabine

About David

Sabine is a Lebanese-American humanitarian clown and performer, the first female clown to receive the “Premio Clown Nel Cuore” award in Italy. With qualifications in performing arts from London and social therapy from New York, she has been working with different communities around the world.

She co-founded Clown Me In in Lebanon and Mexico, a group using the art of clowning to fight social injustice. She is a member of Clowns Without Borders USA spreading joy and laughter among disadvantaged communities. She’s the artistic director of the International Institute for Very Very Serious Studies a performance training program in Beirut focusing on social street theatre as well as the Caravan street theatre productions that take refugee and human rights stories to more than 100 communities in Lebanon and Tunisia and Europe. 

Sabine was among the 40 cultural leaders chosen to share their work at the World Economic Forum in Jan17. 

David Bridel is the Founding and Artistic Director of The Clown School, and an artist, scholar, author, and educator whose work bridges theatre, film, and education. For more than thirty years, he has taught clown, mask, movement, and performance, with students now appearing in leading film and television roles.

David has taught at NYU, UCLA, CalArts, and SUNY Purchase, and internationally in Iran, Brazil, Australia, China, Turkey, Austria, Romania, and the UK. He served as Clown Specialist on Dancing With the Stars (ABC), and as Movement Director for Center Theatre Group’s The School of Night at the Mark Taper Forum, earning an Entertainment Weekly Award. His commedia-inspired choreography for William Friedkin’s Ariadne Auf Naxos at Los Angeles Opera was also widely praised.

David’s broader work includes directing opera, musical theatre, and classical drama worldwide. He co-taught The Presence of the Clown with David Shiner and hosted Philippe Gaulier at The Clown School. His books Clowns: In Conversation and Send In The Clowns: Humanitarian Clowning in Crisis Zones are published by Routledge UK, with Commedia dell’Arte: Contemporary Practitioners forthcoming.

The Next 6 Months of Masterclasses...

What Participants Are Saying...

Deb Rich

Clown Spirit is a remarkable resource for meeting and conversing with master clowns from around the globe. The access to masterclasses on a monthly basis is beyond my wildest dreams come true. Today's class with Jeff Raz was eye opening and heart opening on so many levels. Masterful teaching of the inner workings of clowning. Thank you Barnaby for building the extraordinary Clown Spirit!

Robin Eriksson

The Masterclass series has been pure magic. It's hard to put into words how transformative it is to be a part of it and all it offers. The practices and wisdom shared in each one is a gift in itself; compound the workshops and it is truly a winfall! I am so grateful for the constant inspiration and encouragement, and for what I am learning about myself and clowning. Did I mention, Clown Spirit is M.A.G.I.C.? 

Brian Sutherland

 

Just took this amazing class thanks to Barnaby King! I highly recommend doing some of the Master classes. I can’t believe how much play we got to do in this workshop with the amazing Joe Dieffenbacher 🤡 Thanks to both of you. One of the best zoom Classes yet!

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